We are back from another amazing holiday experienced from Sydney, Australia. Both Anthea and Anders had truly enjoyed themselves and brought back fond memories of the vacation. I know this experienced will stay with them for a long time.
Singapore → Sydney (QF 32) Dep 0940 / Arr 1905
This was our 1st time on the new Airbus A380. We were all excited and looking forward to some new experienced. This was the 1st time we can literally viewed the Take off of the plane via the Sky cam that was fitted to the plane. Also the screen was interactive, so there was no need to use the remote control at all unless playing the games.
Service on Qantas was very good & professional. We were being served throughout the 7 hours flight. In-flight entertainment was on demand, so we can watch the movies on our own schedule. The children were kept occupied watching Ben 10, Dora the explorer and all the different online games. They were also served children meals onboard. Anders didn’t even complained a bit about the 7 hours flight compared to the Hong Kong flight..haha.
We arrived on schedule and immigration clearance was a brisk. As we had some instant cup noodles and milk powder for the children, we declared our luggage and clearance was equally fast. After clearance, we approached the Sun Bus counter for our transfer to the city hotel. It took about 20 minutes to reach our hotel – Mercure Sydney.
We checked in the room and went to survey the facilities – gym & swimming pool. Then after that, we went across the street to Macdonald for our dinner. Yes, it’s Macdonald again…haha. It was windy and cold while we took a quick walk along the street.
Then we went back to the room to change and rest for the night. There was a little incident that happened in the middle of the night. Anthea vomited a few times in the middle of the night and I brought her to the A&E of the local hospital. After 2 hours at the hospital, we were told by the doctor to let her rest and drink enough fluid. No medication was prescribed and doctor said I could get the medication from the pharmacy next day morning. I was told by Adrian that unlike SG, oversea hospital does not prescribe medication. Luckily after that, Anthea was better and had a good sleep. Now I am waiting for my bill from the hospital. Likewise, they didn’t ask me to pay and said would send the bill to our SG address.
Day 2: Tuesday, 9 June
We woke up late after an eventful night and had cup noodles as our breakfast. I told Adrian we would monitor Anthea’s situation before confirming on the next day tour.
After breakfast, we went on our shopping assignment for Jurlique products as requested by families.
My youngest SIL had bought Jurlique products from this duty free shop - Sun Song and recommended it to us as it gave good discount. We managed to get all the products from the shop at a very good rate.
When we were done with the shopping assignment, we went to the food court, opposite the shop and had our lunch. This is the 1st time I see Food Court concept in Australia. The food court was very similar to our local food court. They had different stalls selling different cuisine – Vietnamese, Thai, Korea, Western and Chinese food. So we had no lack of choice. I ordered a wanton noodle for the children, the dish was priced at A$6.80 and the serving was big. Adrian ordered the Korea seafood hotplate and the portion was HUGE. The dish cost him A$10. Overall, the food price in Sydney is pretty reasonable and the servings are big.
Adrian had been to Sydney in 2003 and so he was our Tour guide for this trip.
After lunch, we went on the Tram ride as the children kept asking to go on it. Then we took the monorail to the Darling Harbor area. He brought us to the Sydney Aquarium. It was really an eye-opening experienced for the children and they had great fun touring the Aquarium and seeing all the different species of fishes.
We completed our tour in about an hour time, and then we headed back to Chinatown to pack our dinner.
As the weather turned cold in the night, I would prefer to eat in the comfort of the hotel room than to fight the coldness while walking on the street. So we packed back some noodles and porridge dishes back to the hotel. We had a nice, hot meal in the room while watching their local news.
We had an early rest after dinner as we prepared ourselves for a full day fun tomorrow. I was glad that Anthea had recovered well from her stomach virus.
Day 3: Wednesday, 10 June
*Warning: DO NOT CONT”D READING IF YOU HAVE PHOBIA OF REPTILES*
Port Stephen Tour - We woke up around 6.30am as we were scheduled on a Full Day tour to the famous Port Stephen to see Dolphins. After breakfast of breads and cup noodles, we got ready for our pick up at 7.35am @ the hotel lobby.
We were brought to the coach meeting points to board our tour bus for the day trip. In Australia, the coach driver up doubled up as local guide too. While driving, he would also do introduction of the places to the tourists.
For the day trip, our 1st stop was a Reptile Park and both Anthea and Anders were in for a good treat. We had been reading a lot on reptiles, especially snakes and both of them were so excited to know we were going to see them for real.
In the reptile park, we had the chance to see Koala Bears, Kangaroos, Emu, Lizards and of course Australia famous types of snakes. Anthea and Anders even had the chance to feed the Kangaroos and Emu.
After the 1 hour visit of the reptile park, we proceeded to our next stop – Port Stephen. We were scheduled on the 1.30pm ferry and we arrived at the wharf around 12.20pm. We had an hour time for a quick lunch.
There were many eateries around the wharf area. Adrian and the children had Subway sandwiches for their lunch and I ordered a Fish & Chips meal for myself.
We had a nice and lovely lunch by the wharf and the children kept feeding those seagulls that were waiting for food outside the restaurant.
We boarded the ferry around 1.25pm and set off for our experienced with Dolphins. The ferry took us out to the middle of the ocean and then suddenly, we saw a few dolphins swimming along the side of the ferry. Everyone onboard was very excited and they even had a monitor for those who preferred to stay inside the ferry to see the dolphins.
It was another 1st time experienced for the family and we had a fun time. The only thing was the sea was a bit choppy and the wind was very cold. Anthea got a little dizzy from the bumpy ride. We quickly let her sit down and rest. Luckily I brought along my thermal flask of hot water and I gave the children warm water to drink to keep them warm.
The Dolphins tour lasted for 1 ½ hours and we returned to the wharf around 3pm. Then the coach driver drove us to our next destination – 4WD tour on sand dunes. Both Anthea and Anders had the chance to try sand-boarding and they enjoyed the thrill of it so much. : )
Upon disembarking from the 4WD tour, we boarded the coach for our return to Sydney.
As there was a major traffic jam on the main highway, the coach driver brought us on the suburb routes and we get to see the small towns. Also we did a dinner stop at a local Macdonald as we were running quite late and the driver also needed a rest before he drove on.
We arrived at our hotel almost near 8pm and rested for the evening. It had been a very memorable day trip for the family and especially the sand boarding experienced for the children.
Day 4: Thursday, 11 June
Taronga Zoo – originally we were booked for a Blue Mountain & Wildlife Park tour with the local agent. However after some careful consideration and discussion with Adrian, we decided to forego the tour and to bring Anthea & Anders to the Sydney Tarongo Zoo instead.
We set off for our Zoo trip from the hotel around 10am. We took the bus to Circular Quay and then bought our Zoo package from the wharf counter. The package included Ferry tickets + zoo admission tickets + cable car ride. Yes, Sydney Zoo has a cable car within the Zoo compound.
To get to the zoo, we need to 1st take the Sydney ferry from the wharf, the ride took about 15 minutes. Along the way, we got view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House. We arrived at the Zoo around 11am and took the cable car to the entrance area.
Anthea and Anders enjoyed the cable car ride up the hill and we get a very panoramic view of Sydney city from the island. It was really magnificent and breathtaking. Too bad I don’t have a professional camera to capture all these…hee.
The tour of zoo started upon our arrival. As usual, the children were excited to see all the different animals. I must say this – the energy level in the Zoo was much higher than our local zoo. All the animals in the Zoo were up & walking around.
There were Zoo keeper talks at the different animals holding. The Zoo keeper would bring out the animal and explain the nature of the animal and its behavior.
We also managed to watch the Bird Show and it was really impressive and world class performance.
We had a quick lunch and then proceeded to the children Zoo area where Anthea & Anders had the opportunity to feed the farm animals – pigs, sheep, turkeys and chickens.
Then we continued to tour the Zoo and see more animals up close and personal. We ended our tour around 3pm. It was a very educational 4 hours tour of the Taronga Zoo.
We took the ferry back to mainland Sydney and Adrian brought Anthea & Anders to IMAX Theatre while I took a walk along George Street. This is the main shopping street and along the way, I can see many different shopping buildings.
Adrian and the children came back to the hotel around 6.30pm and Anthea decided to go for a quick swim. The hotel has an indoor swimming pool.
We had packed dinner back in the hotel room; I think we enjoyed eating in than dinning out..haha.
Day 5: Friday, 12 June
We decided to have hotel buffet breakfast since there was a promotion. (Children eat FREE with every paying adult.) After a good hearty breakfast, we checked out of our hotel room around 12 noon. The airport pickup was scheduled at 1.10 pm, so we decided to take a walk to Paddy’s market. The market opens on Thursday to Sunday.
There are many stalls in the market place and they sell different products ranging from clothing, bags, and souvenirs and there was a wet market area too. We bought some tee-shirts and also a bag for Anthea.
Then we headed back to our hotel for the airport pickup and it was Home-Sweet-home all the way.
We took the A380 from Sydney back to Singapore too and needless to say – its top class service and flying experienced again.
Sydney → Singapore (QF 32) dep: 1625 hr / Arr: 2230 hr
This has truly been an amazing Sydney experienced for Aces family and if there is another promotion for Sydney again, I will not hesitate to go for it again…haha.
Port Stephen Tour - We woke up around 6.30am as we were scheduled on a Full Day tour to the famous Port Stephen to see Dolphins. After breakfast of breads and cup noodles, we got ready for our pick up at 7.35am @ the hotel lobby.
We were brought to the coach meeting points to board our tour bus for the day trip. In Australia, the coach driver up doubled up as local guide too. While driving, he would also do introduction of the places to the tourists.
For the day trip, our 1st stop was a Reptile Park and both Anthea and Anders were in for a good treat. We had been reading a lot on reptiles, especially snakes and both of them were so excited to know we were going to see them for real.
In the reptile park, we had the chance to see Koala Bears, Kangaroos, Emu, Lizards and of course Australia famous types of snakes. Anthea and Anders even had the chance to feed the Kangaroos and Emu.
After the 1 hour visit of the reptile park, we proceeded to our next stop – Port Stephen. We were scheduled on the 1.30pm ferry and we arrived at the wharf around 12.20pm. We had an hour time for a quick lunch.
There were many eateries around the wharf area. Adrian and the children had Subway sandwiches for their lunch and I ordered a Fish & Chips meal for myself.
We had a nice and lovely lunch by the wharf and the children kept feeding those seagulls that were waiting for food outside the restaurant.
We boarded the ferry around 1.25pm and set off for our experienced with Dolphins. The ferry took us out to the middle of the ocean and then suddenly, we saw a few dolphins swimming along the side of the ferry. Everyone onboard was very excited and they even had a monitor for those who preferred to stay inside the ferry to see the dolphins.
It was another 1st time experienced for the family and we had a fun time. The only thing was the sea was a bit choppy and the wind was very cold. Anthea got a little dizzy from the bumpy ride. We quickly let her sit down and rest. Luckily I brought along my thermal flask of hot water and I gave the children warm water to drink to keep them warm.
The Dolphins tour lasted for 1 ½ hours and we returned to the wharf around 3pm. Then the coach driver drove us to our next destination – 4WD tour on sand dunes. Both Anthea and Anders had the chance to try sand-boarding and they enjoyed the thrill of it so much. : )
Upon disembarking from the 4WD tour, we boarded the coach for our return to Sydney.
As there was a major traffic jam on the main highway, the coach driver brought us on the suburb routes and we get to see the small towns. Also we did a dinner stop at a local Macdonald as we were running quite late and the driver also needed a rest before he drove on.
We arrived at our hotel almost near 8pm and rested for the evening. It had been a very memorable day trip for the family and especially the sand boarding experienced for the children.
Day 4: Thursday, 11 June
Taronga Zoo – originally we were booked for a Blue Mountain & Wildlife Park tour with the local agent. However after some careful consideration and discussion with Adrian, we decided to forego the tour and to bring Anthea & Anders to the Sydney Tarongo Zoo instead.
We set off for our Zoo trip from the hotel around 10am. We took the bus to Circular Quay and then bought our Zoo package from the wharf counter. The package included Ferry tickets + zoo admission tickets + cable car ride. Yes, Sydney Zoo has a cable car within the Zoo compound.
To get to the zoo, we need to 1st take the Sydney ferry from the wharf, the ride took about 15 minutes. Along the way, we got view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House. We arrived at the Zoo around 11am and took the cable car to the entrance area.
Anthea and Anders enjoyed the cable car ride up the hill and we get a very panoramic view of Sydney city from the island. It was really magnificent and breathtaking. Too bad I don’t have a professional camera to capture all these…hee.
The tour of zoo started upon our arrival. As usual, the children were excited to see all the different animals. I must say this – the energy level in the Zoo was much higher than our local zoo. All the animals in the Zoo were up & walking around.
There were Zoo keeper talks at the different animals holding. The Zoo keeper would bring out the animal and explain the nature of the animal and its behavior.
We also managed to watch the Bird Show and it was really impressive and world class performance.
We had a quick lunch and then proceeded to the children Zoo area where Anthea & Anders had the opportunity to feed the farm animals – pigs, sheep, turkeys and chickens.
Then we continued to tour the Zoo and see more animals up close and personal. We ended our tour around 3pm. It was a very educational 4 hours tour of the Taronga Zoo.
We took the ferry back to mainland Sydney and Adrian brought Anthea & Anders to IMAX Theatre while I took a walk along George Street. This is the main shopping street and along the way, I can see many different shopping buildings.
Adrian and the children came back to the hotel around 6.30pm and Anthea decided to go for a quick swim. The hotel has an indoor swimming pool.
We had packed dinner back in the hotel room; I think we enjoyed eating in than dinning out..haha.
Day 5: Friday, 12 June
We decided to have hotel buffet breakfast since there was a promotion. (Children eat FREE with every paying adult.) After a good hearty breakfast, we checked out of our hotel room around 12 noon. The airport pickup was scheduled at 1.10 pm, so we decided to take a walk to Paddy’s market. The market opens on Thursday to Sunday.
There are many stalls in the market place and they sell different products ranging from clothing, bags, and souvenirs and there was a wet market area too. We bought some tee-shirts and also a bag for Anthea.
Then we headed back to our hotel for the airport pickup and it was Home-Sweet-home all the way.
We took the A380 from Sydney back to Singapore too and needless to say – its top class service and flying experienced again.
Sydney → Singapore (QF 32) dep: 1625 hr / Arr: 2230 hr
This has truly been an amazing Sydney experienced for Aces family and if there is another promotion for Sydney again, I will not hesitate to go for it again…haha.
